What about auto what ??

Your questions are pretty vauge...
The auto trannys make the same motor with a 5speed behind seem like a dawg..
But other then that they are mainly bulletproof.

Towing in a taco 3.4 is possible, just dont expect to to 10000lbs.
MPG with a 3.4...depending on taco or 4runner, but I assume were still talking taco, So ill say best hwy 22
low city 14-16

and thats stock, When you start getting into bigger tires and this and that...things change..

 

I prefer the 02-04 models mostly because of minor things like interior differences and I liked the minor design differences on the exterior. The auto I had shifted smoothly and there wasn't a leak anywhere on that truck. I had a 3" lift and 33" tires and on good days I was getting 19mpg.

As far as quality declining, Toyota and the Tacoma are growing in popularity. With increased popularity comes increased production and with increased production, there are going to be more problems.

Although the newest Tacomas(05-current) are bigger and more powerful, I think they're a little more fragile than previous models, but still a reliable truck. The 95.5-04 Tacomas are, IMO, a tougher, sturdier truck.

Keep in mind that this is all just my opinion and I'm just talking Tacomas.

Biggest problems with 95.5-04 Tacomas is frame rust, an annoying dash rattle, and poor clock placement.